“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the least beat of his heart. You owe him to be worthy of such devotion” ~Unknown

Nelson is twelve years old today! TWELVE! It is hard to believe that he has been around for a dozen years, although come to think of it, it is also hard to imagine that there was actually a time when we did not have him at all. He is truly a family member in every sense of the word.

Of course 12 years ago on this day we had no idea that we would be blessed with a creature this lovely:

It took another couple of months for me to find him.

And when we brought him home the whole neighborhood was smitten. How could you not?

He has given us nothing but joy and over the years he has been fluffy

and less so

For the first 9 years of his life he ran with me every single morning, used to grumble when I got him up and look at me with one eye closed as if to say “can we not take a day of rest today?”. But if I left him behind he cried until I would come back home and then lick my knees as if to say “don’t forget me next time, OK?”

After we moved to the desert full time I stopped taking him running on a regular basis and the last couple of years he has stuck with swimming instead.

At twelve he is still a puppy at heart but over the last year he has definitely slowed down. His Vet is pleased with his overall condition, strong heart and lungs, clear eyes, and he got another clean bill of health at his annual check up. It is his back legs that are his weak spot. Literally. He is losing strength and often has a hard time getting up from lying down or getting on the couch. He often drags his back paws and stumbles. Our walks these days are leisurely short and we take a lot of time to smell the roses.

He also started to have problems keeping himself afloat in the pool and in order to help him we purchased a doggy life vest, an investment that has paid off plenty-fold as he just paddles along in it and actually runs up to it daily to let us know that it is time to take a swim.

I understand perfectly well that his years are numbered now and that his best days are behind us. I would be lying if I said this thought does not break my heart. But I also know that I will do everything to prevent this dog from suffering and that when the times comes we will help him over the rainbow bridge. Hopefully that time will come later rather than sooner. Until then we will keep on swimming!

Happy Birthday, Blu Mountain Lord Nelson!

Today’s Running Tip: Take your dog for a run!

Taking your dog for run not only helps you stay on track with your workout schedule, but it will also help your furry friend stay fit. Dogs don’t accept excuses and studies have shown that runners who exercised with their dogs are more likely to stick to their routine than those who run alone. (Source: Runner’s World, September 2010)